Tornado Safety Tips

Tornado Safety Tips, According to the National Weather Service, during possible tornado-producing weather, the following safety tips can help.

If caught outdoors:

Seek shelter in a basement or sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to a shelter, get in a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and drive to the closest sturdy shelter.
If flying debris hits the vehicle as you are driving, pull over and park.
As a last resort, stay in your car with the seat belt on. Put your head below the level of the windows and cover yourself with your hands and a blanket if possible.
If you can safely reach an area that is noticeably lower than road level, exit the car and lie in that area and cover your head with your hands. In open country, find a ditch, culvert or other low area and lie down flat. Cover your head with your hands to protect against flying debris. Be aware of rapidly rising water.

In homes or small buildings:

Go to the basement or a small interior room (such as a hallway or closet) on the lowest level of the building. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Use heavy furniture for shelter or cover yourself with a mattress or blanket.

In mobile homes:

Abandon them and go to a sturdier structure or place of safety. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection.

In schools, hospitals, factories or shopping centers:

Go to designated shelter areas. Interior halls on the lowest levels are usually the best. Stay away from gymnasiums or auditoriums and avoid all windows and outside walls.

Because of high winds, people in mobile homes are the most vulnerable during tornado weather. If you live in a mobile home community, create a tornado watch plan that includes making arrangements to go somewhere with a basement.